


Unexpectedly Found

by LynsFantasy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Colony (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Fluff without Plot, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-23 03:36:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21313525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynsFantasy/pseuds/LynsFantasy
Summary: Lotor accepted long ago that he'd never have the family he'd always wanted. His mother was unknown, his father was a monster, and that was that.But as he looks for Alteans to take to the new safe haven, he finds some people he'd never even thought to hope to find: Honerva's family.
Relationships: Honerva/Zarkon (past), Kova & Lotor (Voltron), Lotor (Voltron) & Original Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Lotor Appreciation Day!
> 
> There's going to be a lot of new people _mentioned_ and briefly shown in this chapter, but don't worry about trying to keep track of them all. You'll get to know them in chapter 2.

Lotor had met many Alteans, and he’d received a variety of reactions from them. There’d been the few he’d met before his exile, who were rightfully extremely wary of him but were fortunately willing to help him and show him the truth about the war between the Alteans and the Galra. Then there’d been the ones he’d met after going into exile, after he had, in essence, become one of them: another Altean on the run, hiding from the Empire. Nearly all of them were scared at first, but most soon warmed up to him after he told them his story and explained his intentions.

Now that he had finally finished setting up the new safe haven for them beyond the Quantum Abyss, he was meeting even more Alteans than before. Many small groups of Alteans had means of contacting other groups to request help or spread warnings, and they were using those means of contact now to help Lotor find these other groups and get them to safety as well. The new safe haven was not perfect yet – it needed more infrastructure and clearer leadership, since Lotor really could not personally oversee its governance – but it was already far safer than any other hiding place in the universe.

It was strange, really, how Lotor felt both a sense of kinship with these fellow Alteans and yet felt so foreign, so _alien_ and out of place when he was among them. They treated him very well, showing him great respect and much gratitude, but he was always _other_. Some saw him as a leader, a helper, perhaps even a savior sent by the gods of Oriande themselves, but he was always separate from them. Their reverence made him untouchable in their eyes, and that meant he could not be embraced as one of them.

Not that he minded, of course. Reverence was still quite a new experience for him, and it was one he was savoring greatly. Even on the colony he managed, the respect he had gained had still been somewhat begrudging – they had liked him _for a Galra_, they had been grateful that he was gentle _compared to other Galra_ – so this unconditional thanks was honestly quite touching. He already felt far more appreciated than he had ever been in his entire life.

That was enough, wasn't it?

~*~*~*~

Lotor landed his ship in a copse of trees on a lightly inhabited area of a non-imperial planet. He'd been given this location by one of the other small groups of Alteans he had rescued, and he knew they had sent a message to inform this group, so this would hopefully be easier than usual. It was sometimes quite difficult to persuade Alteans in hiding of his pure intentions and genuine offer of safety.

As he started to approach the exact location coordinates he'd been given, he noticed that they led into the middle of a small hill. It took him a moment to spot a little concealed cave entrance. He'd only taken a few more steps toward it before someone appearing to be Olkari stepped out. With a hood hiding the top and back of their head from view, their visible features looked almost right for a young Olkari adult around Lotor's own age. A closer look, however, revealed dark green markings on their cheeks that betrayed their mixed heritage and Lotor couldn't help but smile. He extended a hand toward them. "Hello there. I am Lotor."

They eyed his hand critically for a moment before accepting it. "I'm Arsai." Their voice was androgynous, perhaps leaning toward masculine. "We've been expecting you. Is it true what they say, that you're half Altean?"

"It is indeed." He smiled more warmly. "It seems you are as well?" This wasn't the first hybrid he'd found in his search for Alteans in hiding, but they were still quite uncommon.

Arsai returned his smile. "Yes. Come on inside. Everyone's waiting to meet you and hear your offer."

Lotor followed them inside, where comfortable living quarters had been built into the side of the hill. All the walls and floors were smooth and covered in standard building materials, so from the inside, the dwelling didn't look or feel like a cave. It was very quaint and cozy. Arsai led Lotor through a small front room and into a larger room, where a group of Alteans were gathered together. With Arsai taking their spot in the group, Lotor counted 12 people total, making this quite moderately sized compared to the other groups he’d found.

In the center of the group was an older woman who radiated authority. She appeared elderly, with mostly-white hair and deep lines etched on her face, but she sat straight and proud. Around the room, there were three middle-aged adults – one female, two male – who shared her light-brown skin tone and some of her other features, so Lotor presumed those three were her children.

There were two more middle-aged women, and it was easy to deduce that they were the partners of two of the matriarch’s children, leaving one male unpartnered. Judging by the two young adults sitting next to him, it seemed likely that he had a partner at one time who was no longer with him.

Another young adult sat near the other male adult child of the matriarch, and Lotor noticed with interest that Arsai had settled in next to him like they were partners as well. The woman who must have been that young man’s mother sat nearby with two identical young girls on either side of her.

Since all the young adults and the two small children were accounted for, Lotor deduced that the matriarch’s female adult child and her female partner had no children, at least not any who were present. With a second glance at the female partner in question, Lotor noticed that her skin tone was too pink for a natural Altean color, and her pink irises and pale orange sclera seemed to indicate a mixed heritage, perhaps half or a quarter non-Altean.

All these observations took Lotor only a moment. He was used to having to quickly deduce important information, and the skill had proved quite useful in helping him to determine how best to persuade the Alteans he found to come to the safety he could offer them. Already, he was quite certain that the one he really needed to convince was the older woman, the clear matriarch of the family. If he could persuade her, everyone else was likely to follow.

Addressing the whole room, he began, “As I’m sure you know already, I am Lotor. It’s a pleasure to meet you all, and I thank you for accepting my request to speak with you.”

The matriarch nodded to him. “We’ve heard much from our contacts, and we were very curious indeed.” She stood and extended a hand to him. “My name is Junethea. The pleasure is ours.”

Lotor accepted her hand in greeting for a moment. Then, as she resumed her seat, he drew in a breath, preparing to start some variation of his usual speech about the benefits of the safe haven he was working to create.

“Tell me, child,” Junethea said before Lotor could give his speech, surprising him, “is it true that you are the son of Zarkon?”

Lotor tensed instinctively, expecting suspicion and hatred, but the woman looked… curious. Wistful. Sad. There was nothing in her expression or voice that suggested hostility.

Cautiously, Lotor gave an honest answer. “It is. The Galra blood in my veins is from him, though he gave me nothing else except hostility and anguish. Now, he has permanently exiled me and I am all the happier for it. I would never go back to him and his ways, even if I were given the choice.”

Junethea nodded thoughtfully. “And… forgive me, child, but I must know…” Her honey-colored eyes met Lotor’s with such intensity and sincerity that Lotor momentarily froze. “Do you know who your mother was?”

The question was one Lotor had heard before, though it had never been asked with this much gravitas. He could tell intuitively that the answer to the question meant far more to this woman than to anyone else who had asked. Of course, that was no reason for him to lie, and he’d already told enough people the truth regardless. “She was an Altean scientist, and she officially became my father’s consort before the war. Her name was–”

“Honerva.” Junethea said the name in unison with Lotor.

“How did you–?” Lotor stopped himself. Of course someone as old as this woman would remember the royal wedding. From what few surviving accounts he could find, it was a very big deal at the time.

And yet, there was a sorrow in her eyes that suggested far more than remembering a news event from decaphoebs before. She stood again, and the others in the room watched in silence as she once more closed the distance between herself and Lotor, looking up into his face with an intense gaze. “You even look like her,” she said softly. “You have her face, except for your stronger jawline – you got that from your grandfather.”

Lotor couldn’t breathe. His grandfather? Who? And how did this woman know?

“The color of your eyes, too,” she continued. “The shape of your pupils and those yellow sclera must be from your father’s side, but your irises are the exact same color of indigo blue that my husband had.”

Her _husband_. His _grandfather_. Stunned as he was, Lotor knew what that meant. “You… are Honerva’s mother?”

Junethea smiled sadly, and her eyes held depths of grief. “Yes, dear child. Honerva was my daughter, which means that you must be my grandson.”

Lotor stood frozen, staring without really seeing as he tried to process what that really meant. He’d had practice concealing shock before, and it was only that experience that kept him from going faint or giving himself over to some kind of emotional outburst. He hardly knew what he even felt at this point. Happy to have found this woman? Angry that he hadn’t met her sooner? Relieved that someone was alive who knew his mother and could tell him about her? There were so many emotions swirling through his head that he couldn’t make sense of them all.

Mercifully, the room stayed quiet. When Lotor had gotten ahold of his own thoughts, he looked around to find that no one else seemed surprised by this development. Clearly, they must have already suspected this was the case based on hearing that Lotor was the half-Altean son of Zarkon, and they must have already discussed it before Lotor had arrived. The looks they gave him were sympathetic and curious, perhaps a little cautious and wary, but not at all surprised or disgusted.

“Are you alright?” Junethea’s voice was soft, but it was enough to bring Lotor out of his musings.

“Ah, yes, quite.” Lotor forced a smile. “It’s simply… I supposed I hadn’t dared to hope that any of my mother’s family might still live. I didn’t even know whether she _had_ any family to speak of. And now…”

“Now you’re looking at her family,” Junethea finished for him. “Or, more to the point, _your_ family, if you will accept us.”

_Family._ Hadn’t Lotor longed for that since he was a child? He’d long since given up the notion, but now that it was within his reach, that old desire surged up again with a fierceness that made his heart ache.

Still, ever cautious, he found himself answering in a more neutral way, “I suppose it will take me some time to get used to the concept. And, naturally, I’d like to get to know you all better.”

One of the other women stood up, the one who appeared to be Junthea’s biological daughter. “Of course nobody expects you to warm up to us all at once. It’s fine if it takes you a while to get used to the idea.”  
  
“As you’ve probably guessed,” one of the men added, “we’ve been talking about this ever since we found out about you. We’ve had more time to adjust to the idea.”

“But we all agreed that we would accept you, if you’d have us,” another person chimed in, and by now Lotor was so rapidly losing track of the group that he couldn’t even tell who said it.

He nodded a little absently. There were too many people, too much information… “Excuse me, if you please. I should check to ensure my ship finished its shutdown sequence properly.”

After receiving a general nod of assent from the group, Lotor ducked out, careful to not move too quickly. He didn’t want to look like he was running away, but he simply had to get some fresh air and a moment to process all of this new information. He was used to absorbing a lot of data at once, but it was always just that: pure data without any emotional repercussions. This was different.

He found a large few rocks and sat down on one of them. His head felt almost like it was spinning from the new information. Family. People who had known his mother. It was… it was everything his younger self had wanted, yet something he had let go of long enough ago he hardly dared to take hold of that desire again.

After a few long moments of quiet in which he tried to sort out his thoughts, he heard the door open. Junethea stepped outside, carrying two cups, and held one out to him. “It’s a calming tea,” she explained. “The plant is native here, and it’s not toxic to either Alteans or Galra.”

Lotor accepted it with a faint smile. “Thank you.” He sipped it lightly and found that it was fairly pleasant, if a little bitter in the aftertaste.

Junethea settled onto a rock next to his and silently sipped her own tea, looking off into the surrounding forest. Lotor waited for her to speak, but doboshes of silence went by as she looked out into the wooded area around them, observing small animals running about.

Finally, as Lotor’s nerves settled, he found his words and broke the silence first, still looking out into the trees. “I apologize for running off. This is all a little overwhelming for me.”

“Of course it is.” Junethea’s voice was blunt, but not unkind. “You just found a bunch of strangers who are now telling you we’re your family. I’d be suspicious if you weren’t a little shocked.”

“I suppose that’s fair.” Lotor chuckled lightly, then sobered again. “I remember as I was growing up, I wanted nothing more than to find out more about my mother. Once I became an adult, I managed to find the records of who she was, and I thought that was it. And now…”

Junethea nodded. “We can tell you about her, answer any questions you like, but it’s hard to summarize a person with nothing more than memories and stories. And, as I’m sure you can imagine, we have a lot of questions of our own.”

Lotor glanced over at her now. “What kinds of questions?”

There was a beat of silence as Junethea took a sip of her tea. Her expression was grave. “You said you found the records. To tell you the truth, we never knew the full story of what happened, of why Zarkon suddenly turned on us. To think that such an honorable young man would just…”

The words hit Lotor like a physical blow. “Honor– Junethea, did you know him? Before…?”

Junethea huffed a laugh that wasn’t really a laugh. “He was my son-in-law. Of course I knew him. There were others who knew him better – Alfor, of course – but I had enough holidays and feast dinners with him to get to know him fairly well, I’d say.”

Suddenly, the vague curiosity Lotor had felt about his mother was replaced with a burning need to know more about his father. He couldn’t reconcile the idea of some honorable young king who celebrated holidays and feast days with his in-laws with the severe and untouchable emperor that Lotor had grown up under the thumb of. “What was he like?”

“He was quite a serious man,” Junethea said thoughtfully. “He believed strongly in manners and honor and tradition. Despite our vast difference in status, _he_ would always bow his head to _me_ when I came in the room, insisting that it was only proper for him to do so, since I was, by the standards of family honor, his mother. He always insisted that I call him by his name without any title at all, saying that it was improper for family members to have to use titles with one another.”

She paused to take a sip of her tea, and there was a faint smile on her lips when she pulled her cup away. “He was quite gentlemanly and kind. He always treated us well and, more importantly, he treated Honerva like she was the most precious person in the universe. There was always such love in his eyes when he looked at her. And when the two of them started to talk about having a family…”

Lotor’s eyes started to sting and blur with tears, and he blinked them back furiously. “They… he… _wanted_ a family?”

Junethea finally met his gaze, and her eyes looked misty with tears as well. “More than anything. They both assured me that they would love any child, but they especially wanted a son.”

The tears Lotor had blinked back suddenly resurfaced and began to fall. _Wanted_. He’d never thought… he’d… “I always thought my father had never wanted a child at all. That I’d been an… inconvenient accident.”

“Nothing could be farther from the truth.” Junethea’s voice was serious and sincere, and she reached out a hand to rest it lightly on Lotor’s shoulder. “They tried for _decaphoebs_ to have a child. Your mother… I don’t know how many miscarriages she had, but it was many. She kept working with Galra and Altean doctors alike to try to find a way for her to carry a child to term. She broke down one evening and explained her frustrations to me. It was easy enough to create embryos that _appeared_ healthy and viable, but none lasted for longer than a couple of phoebs after implantation. She kept trying and trying…”

Lotor shook his head and wiped away the tears. “Then how–?”

Junethea withdrew her hand and pressed her lips together for a moment. She then sighed and answered, “I really can’t say. I know she stopped working with Altean doctors, focusing more and more on her own research with Quintessence and only working with Galra doctors and scientists. When she finally told me about her… well, about _you_, she was nearly to term. She apologized for keeping the pregnancy a secret, but she told the family that she didn’t want to break our hearts with news of another miscarriage, so she waited until the baby was far enough along that miscarriage would be unlikely. She never explained how she managed to do it, but I suspect it had something to do with her Quintessence research. She was keeping quiet about that as well. Even Alfor expressed concerns to me about her secretive behavior with that.”

Lotor considered that for a moment. “That makes sense with what I know,” he told her. “I personally have a unique relationship with Quintessence. I’d long since suspected some form of experimentation either before or soon after my birth.”

“She always was a woman of science,” Junethea mused. “I’m not at all surprised.”

They fell back into silence, sipping their tea. Lotor was grateful for the quiet moment as he let his mind rest and as he tried to sift through his emotions. He still felt too many things at once to determine some distinct reaction to the revelation of this entire family he’d never known, but on the whole, he felt more positive about this development than negative. He certainly felt a very distinct sense of curiosity about these people and what he could learn from them.

As he mentally replayed some of the conversation in his mind, he came across something else that he wanted to ask about, something less intimidating than the larger questions about his mother. “You referred to King Alfor by name without a title,” he remarked, looking over at Junethea curiously. “Why is that?”

Junethea chuckled a little. “He’s been just ‘Alfor’ to this family since before he was ever a king.” There was a nostalgic smile on her face. “He and Honerva became best friends in their early adolescence. At first, we were all a little stunned that our little Honey was on a first-name basis with the prince of Altea, but she started bringing him around for dinner whenever he was feeling stifled by palace life, and soon all of us dropped the title. He was just like any of her other friends, really.”

“I hadn’t known that Honerva and King Alfor were such good friends.” Lotor wondered at that, wondered why that wasn’t in any records. He supposed it was perhaps not the most historically relevant fact, but it seemed like something worth knowing.

“Indeed they were.” Junethea took another sip of her tea. “When his mother passed, he started spending even more time at our house. He opened up to me; I think perhaps he saw me as a second mother figure and as a comfort in his grief. He also came to me when his father died unexpectedly and he had to take over the kingship suddenly and at such a young age, barely an adult.”

Lotor leaned forward, listening to every detail and soaking up the new information like a sponge soaks up water.

“We knew a little about Zarkon through him before Honerva ever met him,” Junethea continued. “Alfor and Zarkon were good friends, and although Alfor didn’t have as much time to spare by that point, he made the time to have dinner with our family once in a while, and he told us stories about his new alliance and his fellow paladins. It came as a bit of a surprise when Honerva told us that he had begun courting her and that she was accepting his courtship, but we were not entirely shocked, especially after giving some thought to it.

“When we had the chance to meet Zarkon in person, the match made even more sense to us. They were both very serious people, but they were also both generally optimistic and altruistic. Honerva believed in science while Zarkon believed in diplomacy and top-down social change, but both wanted a better future for Alteans and Galra alike, as well as the other allied peoples.”

Zarkon? Believed in _diplomacy?_ Lotor would have thought this was a cruel joke, but he could see that Junethea was being completely serious. “I… must admit, I am rather…” He couldn’t find the right words.

Junethea offered her hand to him, and he took it. She looked at him with absolute seriousness as she said, “I may not know you very well yet, but from I’ve heard about what you’ve done, I believe that my daughter and son-in-law would have been proud of you, and they would have been very pleased to call you their son.”

The tears Lotor had brushed away earlier returned suddenly, and he had to use his free hand to wipe his eyes just to be able to see. He felt ashamed to be breaking down in front of this woman he barely knew, but Junethea— but his grandmother simply held his hand and quietly waited for him to finish.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m—”

“Don’t be.” Junethea’s voice was gentle. “It’s natural. I would guess that it’s been too long since you’ve let yourself cry, hasn’t it?”

She was right. He hadn’t even cried after the loss of his colony, hadn’t let himself mourn the near-billion lives lost, hadn’t let himself cry for his own pitiable state of exile, hadn’t… He just hadn’t wanted to cry alone, finding the idea just too pitiful and low, so he had held it all back. And now, just a little kindness, just a few words he had always wanted to hear but thought he never would…

As if she could read his thoughts, Junethea added, “You aren’t alone anymore, my child.”  
  
The words brought a fresh wave of tears and Lotor’s breaths shook with small sobs he couldn’t quite contain. It took him several moments to calm down but Junethea never hurried him or tried to make him calm sooner. She simply held his hand and stayed there, a calming presence that felt more familiar already than nearly anyone else Lotor had ever had in his life.

Finally, Lotor’s breathing evened out, and he wiped the last of the tears away. Junethea still looked at him with patient understanding, and when he gave her a shaky smile, she mirrored it with a gentle one of her own. “Thank you,” Lotor whispered.

“You are most welcome, my child.” Junethea squeezed his hand once more before letting go of it and picking up her tea again. “We are going to be here for you from now on, I promise you that. No one should be without a family, and you don’t have to be anymore.”

Lotor’s smile grew a little brighter, the most sincere one he’d smiled in a long time. “I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Chapter 2 should go up soon, along with some art of the new characters for reference. ^-^ Comment and leave kudos if you enjoyed this!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor gets to know the rest of the family as they discuss whether to come with him to the Altean haven.

Lotor stayed for dinner, which was a loud and somewhat overwhelming affair, but he found himself enjoying the atmosphere of simple joy and easy affection between everyone. It was everything he’d wanted when he was young, and while he still had his reservations now, he found himself very quickly warming up to these people.

Throughout the course of the dinner, he got an idea of everyone’s names and got a basic impression for each of them. Junethea, as the matriarch, sat at the head of the table, and the family had given Lotor the seat to her right.

He learned that Junethea and her husband Avaus had four children before he died, several decaphoebs before the destruction of Altea. Honerva had been the youngest of those four, and the last to get married. Her older sister and her wife had no children, but both of the brothers did, although the younger brother had unfortunately lost his wife in the destruction of Altea.

In all, there were twelve people for Lotor to get to know, and even by the end of the meal, Lotor could hardly keep their names straight. Even so, he found himself very determined to learn everything he could about them. He asked them questions and answered theirs, and with the easy conversation and sharing stories, the meal lasted for a few vargas and only ended when it was time for the young twins to go to bed.

Lotor pushed himself back from the table and watched as the others started to filter back to their rooms. He took a deep breath, satisfied and content from more socialization in a few vargas than he’d had all at once in decaphoebs.

“If you wish to stay,” Junethea told him, gently breaking through his thoughts, “we can find a place for you.”

“I’ll stay planetside for the night, but I can sleep in my ship. Still, thank you for the offer.” Lotor gave her a sincere smile. Then, it occurred to him that he hadn’t yet gotten the answer he had come for. “Do you know yet if you will want to come to the new safe haven?”

“Ah.” Junethea’s eyes widened a little with realization. “We were supposed to discuss that over dinner.”

Lotor chuckled. “We had plenty more to discuss.”

“Indeed we did.” She glanced around the room at her children and grandchildren as they bustled around the small house, putting everything away and getting ready for bed. “I would say that it is quite likely from the discussions we’ve had since first hearing about the offer, but I cannot answer for certain until we discuss it more.”

“Then we will have time in the morning,” Lotor said easily. He would have to send messages on that he would be delayed in visiting the other hidden pockets of Alteans he’d sent messages ahead to before, but they could wait a few more day-cycles. Right now, he had a family to get to know.

~*~*~*~

Kova greeted Lotor with a rather demanding meow and Lotor laughed fondly. “I suppose you’re hungry, aren’t you?” He fed Kova first, then started to get himself ready for bed. He found himself zoning out a little, going through the motions of washing up and changing clothes without really paying attention to what he was doing.

As he laid down, Kova hopped up into bed with him like usual, and Lotor pulled him close to his chest. “I’ve only had you for so long,” he whispered to his beloved cat. “Now I have twelve new people who are all welcoming me into the family.”

In the dark and quiet, alone like usual apart from his faithful cat, the idea seemed absurd. He found his relatives, and they were not only willing to tell him about his parents, but they were also welcoming him directly into the family without any conditions or reservations. It was… it was perfect.

Some small part of him said that this was too good to be true, but Lotor thought hard about it, reflecting on the night and the conversations he’d had. Everyone seemed completely sincere. What would they gain by lying to him? He’d already offered them access to the safe haven based on them being Altean, and he wasn’t planning to give them special treatment just for being his relatives.

He caught his own thoughts and realized with a start that he’d already begun to think of them as  _ his _ relatives, not just his mother’s relatives. The thought brought a smile to his face, and he kept that smile as he hugged Kova just a little closer and drifted off to sleep, feeling more content and optimistic than he had been in a long time.

~*~*~*~

Breakfast was a somewhat quieter affair than dinner had been, as roughly half the people at the table sipped tea half-asleep while the morning people happily munched away at the food. After a little while of eating peppered by small talk, Junethea broached the question at hand: “Are we planning to go with Lotor to the safe haven, or should we stay here? We should give Lotor an answer soon so that he may adjust his plans accordingly.”

The other occupants exchanged glances, and Lotor averted his eyes and looked down at his plate instead. He didn’t want them to feel pressured, although every instinct in his mind demanded that he needed to take them there and keep them safe.

“I have a question,” Senia said after a couple of ticks. Lotor remembered from the previous night that she was the wife of Emor, who was Junethea’s second oldest. She was soft of voice and features, but she hadn’t been afraid to gently but firmly scold her two young twins when they’d started to fight and cause some disruption the previous night.

Lotor smiled encouragingly. “Yes? I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.”

“When we arrive and while we’re being integrated into the haven’s population, would we be separated at any point?” Senia asked. It was an understandable worry for a mother of young children to have. The twins — Gemelle and Gemlia, though Lotor had no idea which was which — were just a few decaphoebs from adolescence, and they seemed mischievous and energetic enough for four children. They shared their mother’s dark skin and light blue eyes, and they had inherited her fluffy hair, though instead of her light pink, they had their father Emor’s dark purple. The twins also had soft red Altean markings instead of their mother’s light blue ones.

“The policy is to keep family and friends as close together as possible,” Lotor reassured Senia. “There’s a slim chance that you may end up bunked in separate areas of temporary housing when you first arrive, but I can promise you that we will not split up couples or separate your younger children from you and your husband. And when you get permanent housing, a group this size will need to be split among two or three houses, but it should be easy enough to give you houses in the same section of the city, no more than a short walk from each other.”

Around the table, the other adults seemed to be considering this proposal, and a few nodded their heads. Corelle was the first to speak. “That sounds reasonable enough. As long as we can all stick together, we should be alright.” Lotor recalled that Corelle was the oldest of Junethea’s children. She was very tall, and with her short, dark purple hair and her indigo eyes (which Lotor had been startled to realize were the exact same color as his own irises), she didn’t look very much like her mother except that they shared the same dark blue Altean markings on their cheekbones. She had a loud voice and presence, but she was warm and welcoming.

Emor then sat forward, catching Lotor’s attention. He was Junethea’s second oldest, and he looked like a shorter and somewhat more masculine version of his sister Corelle, though his purple hair was grown out almost as long as Lotor’s, and his honey-colored eyes were the same shade as Junethea’s. He also had the soft red markings that were the same shade as the ones in the pictures of Honerva the family had shown Lotor before dinner. Emor was every bit as loud as Corelle, though he was somehow even more warm and jovial. At the moment, however, he was quite serious. “I expect we’ll all be obligated to contribute to the community. What will that look like?”

“What are your skills?” Lotor countered. “So far, I’ve noticed that Vaulis appears to be an engineer?” He turned his gaze to the man in question, who was Junethea’s third-oldest. He was much quieter than his siblings. He had the silver-grey hair and soft red markings that the Honerva in their pictures had, but he also had the same indigo eyes that Lotor and Corelle shared. Throughout the dinner the previous night, he had kept pulling out a datapad, and sideways glances had revealed to Lotor that he was making notes on schematics and blueprints. Lotor had made a mental note to talk to him about his designs later, since they looked quite interesting and useful, and Lotor had the sense that he could work very well with this uncle of his. Now, it seemed his apparent skills were relevant.

Vaulis was one of the adults who was clearly  _ not _ a morning person, and he startled a little at the mention of his name. He set down his tea carefully and blinked a few times before answering. “Ah, yes. Honey and I were both the more scientifically-minded of the family, like our mother, but I always found alchemy a little too intangible for my taste. I’m more of a physicist than a chemist.”

Lotor found himself smiling. “I can do both, but there is a certain appeal to working with solid metal rather than formulas. Your skills will be much appreciated; we can  _ always _ use more engineers working on city-planning, construction, and building up our defenses.” Then, he turned to Junethea. “You’re also a scientist?”

Junethea nodded. “I was a medical researcher. If you have need of doctors—”

“We most certainly do,” Lotor interrupted, making no attempt to hide the relief in his voice. “We simply don’t have enough doctors for the amount of people in the haven. The ones we do have are splitting their efforts between tending the population and training new doctors and nurses.”

“I can teach.” Junethea sounded quite confident. “I never received a teaching certificate, but I’ve mentored students and interns. It would be easier in my old age than trying to tend patients, and I’ve never had the bedside manner for that.”

“Speaking of teaching,” Corelle, Junethea’s oldest cut in, “I know I don’t act much like it, but I happen to have been a professor of communications and journalism. I know higher education is a little further down the priority list in rebuilding society, but someone’s got to make sure the next generation doesn’t lose the knowledge of Altea, right?”

Lotor smiled. “Indeed.” He then looked to Corelle’s wife, Adee. She was quieter than Corelle but had a very sharp wit. She was the one whom Lotor had noticed when he first met the family as being likely of mixed heritage, since although her long, pastel-orange hair could have been Altean easily enough, her pinkish skin and orange-tinted sclera in her eyes were too far out of the regular color range for Alteans, as were her too-bright pink irises. A short conversation the previous night had revealed that she was three-fourths Altean and one-fourth Occantian, which explained her unusual coloration.

“I’m also a professor,” Adee explained. “Corelle and I met when we were both grad students.” She gave her wife a little smile before looking at Lotor again. “My area of expertise is xeno-anthropology.”

A professor of alien cultures… Lotor thought about that. Adee’s knowledge would be a little out of date after spending so long in hiding while the known universe underwent massive changes due to the Galra war, but, on the other hand— “Who better to teach recent history, then?” he asked with a little smile. “I’d love to sit down with you and see if you can clear up some of the questions I have about the state of the universe right before the Galra conquest began.”

Adee smiled and nodded. “That would be exactly what I was specializing in at the time, and Corelle would know just about anything I don’t.”

Lotor returned her nod, then looked to Senia. Her darker coloration made it easy to remember that she was married into the family, and it only took Lotor a tick to remember that she was Emor’s wife. She shrugged modestly. “I have a degree in accounting, and I was a banker before everything.”

“That’s useful,” Lotor assured her. “We aren’t using a money system at the moment, but we need people who can manage resources, and we will most likely end up introducing money to facilitate trade within the haven as it expands.” He then looked to Emor.

“I’m just a glorified history nerd,” Emor admitted with a wry smile.

Lotor’s eyes lit up, and he sat forward. “You know Altean history?”

“Not  _ just _ Altean history. I also studied the histories of Daibazaal, Olkari, Nalquod… My speciality was pre-space-travel history, looking into all these disparate cultures and what they were like when they thought they were alone in the universe.”

“I would  _ really _ like to pick your brain later,” Lotor assured him. “I’m incredibly curious about all this, but the Galra have deleted and edited all historical accounts to the point where I cannot tell what is true and what is propaganda. We need someone who can sort the record straight and keep a true account for future generations.” What he didn’t say aloud was that the future generations in question in his mind were not just Alteans, but also Galra after Zarkon’s eventual downfall. Someone would have to tell the Galra their  _ true _ history once all the propaganda was scrubbed away.

Emor raised an eyebrow. “Sure, I’ll gladly do that. I also managed to save a lot of books that were on my personal datapad when we fled Altea. If you want them, I can give you copies.”

Lotor nodded, not even trying to hide his enthusiasm. “Please do.”

“No problem.” Emor smiled, seeming quite happy that someone shared his appreciation for history. “And since that probably won’t take all my time, I’m more than happy to help out with construction. I might not be an engineer like my brother, but I did some handyman work when I was younger.” He motioned all around at the walls and ceiling and floor of the hideout. “Vaulis and I designed this house, and we all worked together to build it.”

“That will be very helpful, thank you.” Lotor then turned his attention to his cousins. “Now, I know you’ve all been in hiding since you were young…” he said gently, trying to be delicate about the fact that they never had a chance for education beyond what the older adults present could give.

Arsai spoke up first. They were the one who had first greeted Lotor when he landed. Lotor’s earlier suspicions about the half-Olkari being in a relationship with the young man he was always next to — Hadius, Emor and Senia’s oldest — were confirmed, more through the way they whispered to each other and shared food along with flirtatious looks rather than through any verbal confirmation. “Well, I grew up on Olkari,” Arsai explained. “It’s a bit of a long story how I met Hadius and chose to hide out here, but I’d already finished my standard education. I already knew some basic technical engineering, and Uncle Vaulis has been teaching me everything he knows, too. I know more about computers and coding than he does, though.”

“I’ve also been learning engineering from Dad,” Diosa chimed in. “And as much biology as I can from Grandmother. If there’s anyone in the haven who can teach me alchemy, though, that’s what I’m most interested in.” Diosa was Vaulis’ older child. She was only a little older than her cousin Hadius, but she seemed older than her years as she’d engaged with the older adults in conversation the previous evening as one of their peers. She was a bit on the quieter side, like her father, but she seemed more relaxed. The only part of her appearance that matched her father’s was her skin tone; her dark green hair, emerald eyes, and light grey markings all must have come from the other side of her heritage.

Lotor nodded. “We do have a few people who could teach you, and Olkari expertise is most certainly welcome.” He then looked to Hadius and Arlor.

Hadius shifted uncomfortably. The young man was just a little older than Lotor, though his youthful and easygoing attitude made him seem younger at first. His short and messy pink hair was the same color as his mother Senia’s, and he’d inherited her light blue markings, though his eyes were same honey color that seemed to run quite strongly in the family. “I mean, I’ve learned a mix of everything. I know I’m not a genius computer nerd like my datemate here—” He gestured to Arsai. “—or an engineer like Uncle Vaulis. I’m more interested in the stuff Aunts Corelle and Adee have taught me, as well as the history that Papa knows.”

“That’s good,” Lotor assured him. “We’ll always need people to take up their jobs. If you think you could become a teacher, that’d be useful.” He smiled at his cousin. “While there aren’t many children Gemelle and Gemlia’s age—” He nodded to the young twins sitting between Senia and Emor. “—I expect more children to be born in the safety of the haven, and someone’s going to need to teach the youngsters, right?”

Hadius’ eyes lit up. “Yeah, I can do that! I’ve always liked kids.”

That comment struck Lotor as a little strange, and he gave Hadius a confused look. “Aside from your sisters?”

“Right, we haven’t really explained that yet.” Hadius took a deep breath. “Okay, so Mom used to be the one to go out and get supplies. Now, I’m usually the one who does it. I’ve learned everything about fighting that this family of gods-be-damned nerds could teach me, and I’ve figured out a lot more on my own. I’m also the one in the family with the best shapeshifting, if you don’t count Arsai shifting to look more Olkari and Aunt Adee shifting to look more Occantian.”

“We could use a few more brave souls willing to go out and find other Alteans in hiding,” Lotor said slowly, thinking it over. “If I had others doing this job, I could focus my efforts elsewhere.”

“I found Arsai,” Hadius pointed out. “And they’re not the only one. I’ve got a good eye for fellow Alteans when I’m slipping through sketchy markets and stuff.”

“That’s good.” Lotor nodded decisively, making up his mind to teach Hadius everything he could about fighting and defense and training him to be his assistant. “Alright, we can discuss that more later. How about you, Arlor?”

Arlor was Vaulis’ younger child. He was younger than Hadius, but since he too was born before Altea’s destruction, Lotor realized that Arlor was still older than him. In the conversation at dinner the previous night, Arlor had seemed quite intelligent, though he utilized this in general knowledge and trivia rather than through conversational wit. There was something charismatic yet charmingly awkward about him that made him seem absolutely guileless. His fair skin was lighter than anyone else’s in the room, and his dark green hair matched his sister’s, but he shared his indigo eyes and soft red markings with his father and other members of the family. He also looked a little uncertain at Lotor’s question. “I, uh… I could probably teach too, I guess?” He didn’t sound very enthused by that idea. “The only things I really like to do are writing and drawing.”

An artist, then. While art was the kind of commodity best utilized in a more developed society, there would be some demand for it soon enough once the refugees already in the haven had settled down more. “I’m sure we can find people who can help train you in that,” Lotor said gently, reassuringly. “And then you can teach writing and art, and I’m sure we can find plenty of places around the haven that could use some art to brighten them up. The buildings as they are now are all rather utilitarian.”

Arlor brightened, gaining back that easygoing smile he’d had the previous night. “Yeah, yeah, I like the sound of that.”

Lotor smiled, satisfied that he’d been able to think of a potential job for each person that would be both fulfilling for the individual and useful to the haven as a whole. He couldn’t grant these people special treatment on the basis of being his relatives, but he wanted to ensure that they would be happy, and he was glad that he could find a way to potentially achieve that without making exceptions for them. He looked around the table and saw that they all seemed quite thoughtful. “Are there any more questions?”

A few ticks of silence followed, but then Vaulis asked, “Could you tell us more about what you have in mind for housing? Perhaps comfort is a petty concern, but it would put me more at ease to know that we will in fact be comfortable as well as safe if we go.”

“That is a perfectly fair concern, and an easy enough question to answer,” Lotor assured. “As I said before, you would be bunked at first in temporary accommodations, as all who come to the haven are. You’ll also be put on a waiting list to receive permanent housing. So far, no one has had to wait longer than a phoeb, as we have construction crews working daily to build new houses and other necessary buildings. All of the houses so far are fairly small, so you all would need two or three, but we could most likely give you ones right next to each other.”

He thought for a moment about how he would divide this group into houses. He could put Vaulis with his two children into one house, and since Diosa and Arlor were both adults, they’d probably like their own spaces, so a three-bedroom house made the most sense for them. Emor and Senia of course would be housed with their young daughters, and two rooms would likely suffice for the four of them, but then with their son Hadius…? Hadius and Arsai were adults and would want their own space, but perhaps an attic apartment in the same house as the rest of Hadius’ immediate family would be acceptable. That would leave Corelle and Adee to share a house with Junethea, and two rooms would work just fine for them.

He explained his rough plan to the others, and it was met with shrugs and nods of assent. It seemed that, at least, no one was opposed to the idea.

“Are there any more questions?” Lotor prompted, but no one spoke up. He then sat back, feeling quite pleased. “Are you all decided, then? It seems everyone would be able to find a place in our haven. I can step out for a moment while you all discuss this further, if you’d like.”

All eyes went to Junethea, who sipped her tea quite deliberately. She then set the cup back down just as slowly and deliberately. “Well, I already know what my opinion is. I think that we should go to this haven.”

Corelle and Adee shared a nod, and then Corelle said, “I second that.”

“I agree,” Emor added, and Senia also nodded assent. The twins whispered to each other and to their parents, clearly excited by the idea.

“If I can go back to Olkari once in a while, I wouldn’t mind,” Arsai chipped in.

Lotor nodded to them. “That can be arranged.”

“Then I’m all for it too!” Hadius said with a smile.

Diosa leaned forward to catch Lotor’s attention. “I’d also like to go.”

Vaulis looked like he was still considering, and so was his son Arlor. “I suppose even if I didn’t want to go, I’d be outnumbered,” Vaulis pointed out. “I have my own reservations, but I don’t have any real objections, so I’ll go if everyone else does.”

Arlor nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’m with Dad. I’m pretty happy where we’re at, but if everyone else want this, I’ve got no problem with it.”

“Then it’s settled.” Lotor smiled, and he felt a sense of relief. If they hadn’t wanted to come, he’d already decided that he would make an effort to visit once in a while, but it would be much easier to get to know his family if they lived in the haven. “I’ll send a message ahead to prepare temporary accomodations and to put your names on a waiting list for permanent housing. How soon can you be ready to leave?”

“We can spend today packing up and leave tomorrow morning,” Emor offered.

Lotor looked around the table, and no one had any objections, so he nodded assent. “That would be ideal. The sooner we can get back, the better. I need to meet up with other small groups of Alteans I’ve contacted, and I would rather take you all to the haven first and settle you in if possible.”

“Then that is what we’ll do,” Junethea declared. “We’ll be ready to leave tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Left to right: Arsai, Hadius, Senia, Gemelle & Gemlia, Emor, Lotor (obviously), Junethea, Corelle, Adee, Diosa, Vaulis, Arlor  
[(full picture)](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/405169500393177089/643640499554484224/Honervas_relatives.jpg)
> 
> Thanks to [Pukotort](https://twitter.com/pukotort) for drawing everyone! She was a real trooper, accepting a commission to draw so many characters!


End file.
